First Thing: Fears grow for Israel-Gaza ceasefire as Netanyahu threatens to resume war

Netanyahu said fighting would resume if Hamas did not release hostages by Saturday. Plus, Musk finally questioned by reporters over Doge

Good morning.

Benjamin Netanyahu threatened that Israel would resume fighting in Gaza if Hamas did not release more hostages by noon on Saturday, endorsing a threat by Donald Trump that could shatter the three-week-old ceasefire between the two sides.

It came a day after Trump told reporters: “If all the Gaza hostages aren’t returned by Saturday at 12pm, I would say cancel the ceasefire. Let all hell break loose.”

It was not clear whether Netanyahu is also demanding that all 76 captives still theoretically held in Gaza be released, or just the three hostages scheduled for release on Saturday under the ceasefire.

What did Netanyahu say? “If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon – the ceasefire will end, and the IDF will return to intense fighting until Hamas is finally defeated,” he said.

What about Hamas? Hamas said on Monday it would delay the release of Israeli hostages indefinitely over “violations” of the ceasefire deal. On Tuesday, Hamas had softened its stance, reiterating its commitment to a diplomatic solution.

This is a developing story. Follow our live blog here.

Elon Musk appears with Trump and tries to claim ‘Doge’ team is transparent

Elon Musk claimed that his so-called department of government efficiency (Doge) was providing maximum transparency as it bulldozed its way through the federal government, remarks contradicted by the reality of how he has operated in deep secrecy.

The appearance from Musk was the first time he had taken questions from journalists since his arrival in Washington.

Musk asserted, without evidence, that USAid officials had been taking “kickbacks” and that government officials had “managed to accrue tens of millions of dollars.”

What’s the latest on Musk’s slash and burn campaign? Doge has terminated nearly $1bn in Department of Education contracts. On Monday, it said $101m was slashed from 29 DEI training grants; on Tuesday, it said $881m in contracts was wiped out – including the federal agency’s research and statistics office.

What was that about transparency? The Associated Press said it was barred from sending a reporter to the Oval Office executive order signing, in an effort to “punish” the agency for upholding the use of the name of the Gulf of Mexico.

Danes offer to buy California to spite Trump’s Greenland aims: ‘We’ll bring hygge to Hollywood’

Since returning to the presidency last month, Donald Trump has called for Canada to become the 51st US state, suggested he might take over the Panama Canal, floated US ownership of Gaza – and tried to buy Greenland.

Now, Denmark, which owns Greenland, is firing back.

More than 200,000 Danes have signed a satirical petition to buy California from the US. “Have you ever looked at a map and thought: ‘You know what Denmark needs? More sunshine, palm trees, and roller skates.’” the petition reads. “Let’s buy California from Donald Trump!”

But, but, but: Although the Danish petition to purchase California may be a joke, the US bid to purchase Greenland appears quite serious. Buddy Carter, a Republican representative of Georgia, announced that he had introduced a bill to authorize the purchase of Greenland and rename it “Red, White and Blueland.”

And the US is now seen as a global risk: That’s according to organizers of the influential Munich Security Conference, who said in their pre-summit report that Trump’s proposed “land grabs” mean the US is no longer perceived as “an anchor of stability, but rather a risk to be hedged against.”

In other news …

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Europe cannot guarantee Ukraine’s security without the US, as the Ukrainian president said he would offer US firms lucrative reconstruction contracts to try to get Donald Trump onside.

Google calendars will no longer include references to Black or Women’s History Months, LGBTQ+ holidays, and other events, another change Google has made since Donald Trump regained power.

The Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, is heading to Washington for high-stakes talks in an attempt to avoid a trade war with Donald Trump.

Stat of the day: 1,219 incidents of transnational repression in last decade, with China’s regime 22% of recorded cases

Freedom House, a nonprofit, documented 1,219 incidents of transnational repression – targeting political exiles abroad to silence dissent – from 2014 to 2024. China was the most frequent offender, responsible for 272 incidents, or 22% of recorded cases. Russia, Turkey and Egypt also rank among the worst perpetrators.

Don’t miss this: Dismissed, excluded and now adored – the revenge of the female surrealists

Last year was the 100th anniversary of the Surrealist Manifesto. The centennial prompted a flurry of interest in female surrealists – who were often excluded from the movement and often written off as “muses”. In a world that feels increasingly unpredictable, their work again today has a real resonance, around women embracing instability and using it to fuel their creative work.

Climate check: Intense heatwave in southern Brazil forces schools to suspend return

As a heatwave scorches Brazil, the city of Quaraí recorded the country’s highest temperature of the year on 4 February: 110.8F (43.8C). Brazilian schools have suspended classes in some areas, as more than 70% of schools in Rio Grande do Sul state lack air conditioning.

Last Thing: ‘I tried to cut out single-use items for a month – and it almost broke me’

“The scale of plastic pollution is so terrifying, I mostly try to avoid thinking about it, but some facts stop me in my tracks. According to the UN Foundation, there is already enough plastic in the oceans to fill 5m shipping containers,” writes Emma Beddington, who tried to go without for a month. “It’s quickly apparent in supermarkets how many aisles are off-limits.”

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